Actress Jenna Stone Talks Movies, Music and Metal

Whether she’s playing the role of a teenage friend (Edge of Salvation), rocking out at a hair metal concert (RATT music video) or running for her life from a drug-dealing step father (HUFF); Jenna Stone is an actress who can do it all. In real life, she’s one of the most talented and down to Earth people I’ve ever met.

2013 will be a good year for the beautiful, young actress. With two films already slated for release early in the New Year, there’s no denying Jenna Stone is an actress you need to keep your eye on.

In this cool interview, Jenna talks about her role as Styx in the soon to be released horror/thriller “HUFF” as well as story line for the feel good movie, “Edge of Salvation”. We also discuss her “metal head” connection and the multiple music videos she’s appeared in over the course of her career. One that’s just getting started.

How would you describe the story of “HUFF”?

JS: It’s a twisted version of a fairy tale based on “The Three Little Pigs” where Charlie (O’Connell) plays Huff (the Big Bad Wolf) and Marie (Bollinger), myself and Elly (Stefanko) are his step-daughters (the three pigs): Brixi, Styx and Shay. Everything starts off innocently enough with Huff and the girls having a family moment reading scripture together, but you quickly find out that this is not a normal household.

Huff is actually a drug dealer and our mother (Elina Madison) is unaware of the abuse he’s been taking out on his step-daughters. When she does find out, she decides to take his drug money and give it to the girls so that they can run off and start new lives. Huff of course, is not too happy when he finds out about it and so… bloody pursuit ensues! [laughs]

How did the role come about for you?

JS: I was originally called in for the audition. During the call back, I went in a did a chemistry read with Randy (Blekitas), who plays my boyfriend, Woody. That went extremely well. From there, I went to the table read. I was a bit nervous at first because it was such an intense script, but everyone there was so cool and relaxed. It was a lot of fun.

What can you tell me about your character, Styx?

JS: Styx is definitely the free-minded one. She’s independent and strong and does her own thing. I really love her attitude. Through all of it, she just stands her ground. She has very strong beliefs about what should and should not be done in certain situations.

Some of your scenes in ‘HUFF’ were pretty physical. How do you prepare yourself for that?

It varies from scene to scene. As far as Styx the character goes, I was able to connect with her easily so that helped a lot. For the more physical and scary scenes, everyone was on the same page as far as not wanting to be prepared for what was coming next. It was exciting to not know certain aspects of what was going to happen (like where Charlie would be coming from when he was chasing me). What physically took a toll, aside from how cold it was while we were filming was the hair dragging. But I wanted it to be as real and genuine as possible, so we just did it. For me, it’s about the moment.

Tell me about another one of your recent films, ‘Edge of Salvation’.

JS: ‘Edge Of Salvation’ is the story of a family who is losing their home and at the same time adopting a young boy who lost his parents. It’s about how the emotion and dynamics of a struggling family are affected when a new family member in introduced. It’s a faith-based, coming together story that’s very honest and real.

When you see yourself on-screen, are you able to separate yourself from the performance or do you critique it?

JS: I try to sit back and just take the story in as a whole. It’s always interesting to see which scenes they choose for the final cut.

Jenna Stone Music Videos

What do you find most intriguing about doing music videos?

JS: Music videos are always fun to do because they’re their own unique thing.

* The Spill Canvas: Staplegunned

How did this video come about and where was it filmed?

JS: I was called in for an audition and told what the video was going to be like. It was filmed in this old, creepy house that had been used for horror films.

What’s the story behind this video?

JS: For me, I think they took the words from the song and made it more on the darker, almost morbid side as far as imagery goes. It created the mentality of kids that age and why they feel the way they do about someone they love. It gets kind of crazy sometimes. [laughs].

* The Fray: Heartbeat

Were you already a fan of the band prior to this video?

JS: Their first CD was one that my Mom and I would blast on repeat when we would drive from Dallas to LA. I had worked with the director before on another project so when he told me who it was and asked if I had heard of them I said, “Of course!” [laughs]

What did you like most about this video?

JS: I like that it’s two different stories, so it kind of has the double meaning. The scenes we shot were all pretty much candid and real. It was a really fun shoot.

* RATT: Eat Me Up Alive

JS: This video is supposed to be a live, concert-styled performance and I was one of the people in the crowd. It was a lot of fun. I got to meet the guys in the band and they were very cool.

What was it like when you first decided to become an actor?

JS: I remember my parents were a little surprised when I first told them that I wanted to get into acting. But we started doing research and I began taking acting and modeling classes. Eventually, I met a manager who encouraged me to come to LA and since then, I’ve never looked back.